Feds: Pa. men ran $2M magazine subscription scam

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Two Pittsburgh-area men are accused of running a nearly $2 million scam on thousands of victims who thought they were buying magazine subscriptions to benefit charity.

An indictment unsealed Monday says Samuel Cole and Larhon Buchanan, both of Larimer, hired young men and women to sell fake subscriptions across the country. Investigators say the men ran the scheme in western Pennsylvania, Seattle and Dallas from February 2007 until last year.

Authorities say more than 21,000 people were victimized in the scheme. The indictment says the men instructed their sellers to tell victims they were single mothers or convicted criminals looking to get back on their feet.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports both men were arrested Nov. 11 and remain in custody. Court records don't list attorneys for them.